1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ball bat with tailored flexibility and, more particularly, to such a ball bat with tailored flexibility for allowing for improved swing characteristics.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of ball bats with tailored flexibility is known in the prior art. Furthermore, the use of baseball bats is also known in the prior art. These baseball bats describe prior art baseball bats for striking a ball.
The literature discloses various baseball bats of varying construction. Note U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,786 to Mueller. This patent relates to composite bowling pins and baseball bats which are formed with foam, cured in place plastic bodies securely adhered to a central aluminum core by a somewhat thermoplastic adhesive coating. U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,651 to You. This patent relates to a ball bat of fiber-reinforced plastic casing of a predetermined thickness with slits of a pre-determined number constructed in the casing located at the juncture area of flexible bending portion and grip portion. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 5,316,299 to Feche. This patent relates to a golf club shaft with a small central section adjacent to the handle or upper end. U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,296 to Frederiksen. This patent relates to a composite bat formed of a stiff core having a thick sheet of an elastomer such as polyurethane. U.S. Pat. No. 5,452,889 to Lewinski, et al. This patent relates to a device for striking a ball such as a soft foam rubber ball, and includes a ball striking element including a clear transparent shell portion and a colored liquid in an inter-cavity in the shell portion. U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,097 to Huddleston. This patent relates to a bat made up of a resilient conical coupling tube between spaced other portions of the bat. U.S. Pat. No. DES. 344,777 to Lo. This is a design patent directed to a bat which has conical or reverse frustoconical sections in the handle area and an enlarged bulb-like section close to the handle. U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,698, to Volpe, relates to a baseball bat with a replaceable ball-striking portion. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 4,032,143 to Mueller, relates to a composite baseball bat.
However, none of these baseball bats are capable of allowing for improved swing characteristics as provided by the present invention.
The present invention achieves its intended purposes, objects and advantages over the prior art through a new, useful and unobvious combination of components elements, through the use of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a reasonable cost to manufacture, and through the utilization of only readily available and conventional materials.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved ball bat with tailored flexibility with a cylindrical handle zone at a first end of the ball bat. The cylindrical handle zone has a knob disposed on a free end thereof. A generally cylindrical hitting zone is at a second end of the ball bat remote from the first end. An essentially frustoconical transition zone is between the handle zone and the hitting zone. The transition zone includes an inboard portion of a first length and an outboard portion of a second length together forming a flex control zone. The flex control zone modifies normal flex characteristics of the ball bat.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a ball bat with tailored flexibility which overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art devices and which constitutes an improvement which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the art.
Another object of the invention to enable ball bat with tailored flexibility that allows for improved swing characteristics.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a ball bat with tailored flexibility that includes a reduced circumferential area between the cylindrical handle and the barrel for forming a bubble for selective stiffening and flex to be incorporated into a softball or baseball bat.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a ball bat with tailored flexibility which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is further object of the present invention to provide a ball bat with tailored flexibility construction which is of a durable and reliable construction.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the present invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results could be obtained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention as defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.